Digimon: Ignition
by hjohenson
Summary: It was a strange day when it all started... Five kids, discovering new friends during the darkest periods in their lives, are thrust into the midst of an ancient conflict that threatens to engulf their world. Now, with their new friends, they must stand together, learning about the ancient mysteries around them, and fighting the darkness that threatens their realm!
1. Chapter 1

It seemed like a normal day.

It seemed like any other average Wednesday. The birds were singing, flowers blooming in the warm spring air, and the ringing of school bells echoed across the city. The wind was calm, rushing a cool hand across the inhabitants of this city as it wafted through the tall buildings. The scent of flowers floated between the people rushing to and fro. Some of these people were heading home, some were leaving for their next job. Some had families to visit. Some didn't. Some were alone in the world, and some… some wished they were.

The young man leaving his dojo sometimes wished he was. The only times he truly felt alive were when he sparred, clashed with his boken against an equal opponent. The rush of adrenaline, the feeling of having a true challenge against him, it was exhilarating. Truly, nothing like it could be had in this world. He sighed, adjusting the strap on his shoulder. The bag the strap held up contained his schoolwork and two wooden swords, his trademark amongst his peers. His school uniform was a dark grey outfit, with a red tie that he kept undone when he wasn't in front of teachers. As he started walking down the street, towards his house, he sighed again, his crimson hair falling to cast a shadow over his eyes. The shade matched his mood.

Nothing was difficult anymore.

Best kendo student in the dojo, and one of the top five in the state. An A student, top marks down the board. It was expected of him, though… His father was a brilliant scientist, his mother an expert businesswoman. Both of them expected him to be just as intelligent, and he was. He was, and more. He was stronger than them, as well. Whatever sport he tried, he excelled in. Whatever class he was pushed into, he mastered. In his last year of high school, two years earlier than his peers, he had finally hit a point in his life where… nothing was hard anymore. There was no challenge to anything.

There was no point to it.

He walked the streets, alone. People passed him, not caring about the high school kid with his duffel bag. The smells of the street stalls selling food from every country didn't entice him, he'd tried them all. The sounds of the hustling street, cars honking in traffic, people yelling at each other… none of it registered to him. He'd heard all of it before. He'd heard it all, smelled it all, tasted it all… nothing in this city surprised him anymore.

It seemed like a normal day…

Like every Wednesday, she left school alone. She walked home, alone. No one on the street paid her any mind, just like always. No one cared about the little girl with pink hair dye. Just another crazy high school girl, trying to be popular or different. No one watched her adjust her backpack, sighing at her life. No one noticed her walking up to her house, unlocking the front door, and walking in. No one knew that within, she was completely alone. Her parents were too busy working hard to keep that house, too busy working to be home for her. Too busy to pick her up, or do anything but leave a note in the kitchen.

She picked up the note, reading it quickly before tossing it in the trash. Her mother had left her a cake from a lunch date with one of her clients, but she left it there. It wasn't important. She tromped up to her room, crestfallen and depressed. Her backpack was tossed into a corner, and with a sigh, she fell onto a pile of stuffed animals. Her only friends.

It seemed like a normal day…

His mother had picked him up. The blonde young man had jumped into the car, trying to forget the pain of yet another pointless day at school. She drove him home, talking to him about how his father would be coming in this weekend. He barely registered that she was even speaking, too absorbed in his thoughts. Concepts roiled in his mind, thinking about where he could go with his next project. His backpack rested between his feet, sitting on the floor of the car. His laptop sat within it, filled with all of his ideas, all of his great thoughts that would someday become reality. But for now… nothing. His mind was merely a hard drive with too many programs running. Too many thoughts, not enough focus.

He only realized that they'd arrived at home when his mother opened her door. He gathered his belongings, leaving the car behind as he followed her up to their apartment. So many things he could do to better this place… and yet, nothing. Not old enough, they said. Not enough money, they said. There was always a problem, always something outside of his ideas that got in the way. But the more he tried to consider all the variables involved, the more problems arose. But still, the ideas clamored for attention. None of them would work, yet all of them would.

He moved to his room, stopping in the kitchen to grab a plate of cheese and crackers. He shouldn't eat as much, he was supposed to be on a diet. But his mind couldn't register that thought beyond the cacophony of other thoughts echoing like an incessant roar within. Too many thoughts, but none of them would work.

Except all of them would.

It seemed like a normal day…

Another month, another moving truck.

She sighed, lazily hanging an arm out of the window of the truck. She was used to this by now. She had adjusted to the constant moving. She had gotten used to the empty feeling in her heart, gotten used to her father once again dragging her to some new home. None of them were home, though. Not really. She didn't have a home, not anymore.

Her father looked over in silence, his body stiff, military training keeping him awake through the long trip. He sighed, a look of defeat crossing his face, and turned back to the road. She flicked a strand of blue hair from her eyes. The wind was nice, at least, but it played havoc with her hair. With a sigh of consternation, she rolled up the window, and leaned the chair back. With a final deep breath, she covered her eyes with a newspaper and prayed she could drift to sleep for the rest of the trip.

At least she didn't have to feel that empty pain when she was asleep.

It seemed like a normal day…

For the most part, it was a normal day…

But there was something under the surface of the normality. As the red-haired youth walked home, across the street was an alleyway. From that alleyway, two large red eyes watched him walk. Two large eyes glared at the young man walking alone, heading towards an empty future. Those eyes were young, full of life, full of promise. They were also hungry, and their owner was hungry as well.

As the pink-haired girl walked home alone, one of her neighbors looked over her garden with confusion. It was the third time in as many days that she'd come outside to find her entire garden upturned, flipped over completely. Nothing was stolen, no vegetables eaten… just flipped over. Compost layered the soil, laid down fresh within hours of her discovering it. Yet no footprints could be seen, and there were no shovel marks around the edges of the garden. No one had used any tools to dig up and replace her lovely vegetable garden.

As the blond young man drove home with his mother, they passed by the city park, a huge patch of forest in the midst of suburban sprawl. From the forest, something watched their car pass by, something that could sense the electricity within it, could sense the young man's laptop even inside the car. Something wanted that power, wanted that young man's backpack.

As the blue-haired lass fell into slumber, the pain in her soul eased by the blissful ignorance of sleep, two creatures wandered the alleys of the city, scrounging for food. They were alone with each other, in a dark and unforgiving world that knew not what they even were. The two dug into a nearby dumpster, praying for a miracle to grant them dinner this night.

It seemed like a normal day… but it was something else entirely.

 _Digimon: Ignition_

It felt like a strange day.

The red-haired youth dealt with his day as usual. Go in. Talk to everyone who talked to him. Smile, pretend nothing was wrong, and be excited about training that evening. It was, by all accounts, a normal day. School was teaching him nothing he didn't already know, his peers were all talking about different sports, and no one paid him any mind afterwards. As he left school, he bumped into someone. He apologized to the blonde young man, raising a hand to help him up, but the other boy had already picked up his bag. "It's alright. Don't worry about me."

"You sure? I'm kind of big…" A look of genuine concern appeared. The red-haired boy knew his mass was enough to knock anyone over. Contact sports had taught him that, and he had quickly become the star of the team… before he quit, feeling he'd mastered the sport within months.

"Yeah, I'm fine." The other boy nodded, adjusted a pair of thin-rimmed glasses, and started to walk off. It was clear he was distracted by something. Something eating away at his mind. Something… new to the red young man.

"You sure? If there's something on your mind, maybe I can help. I'm Ken, by the way." The red-haired youth caught up to his peer, holding out a hand in greeting. The blonde bespectacled boy cautiously took it, shaking hands with an air of uncertainty.

"I'm, uh… David. David Carter. And uh, no… just have a lot on my mind, Ken. Thanks for offering, though." A honk caught their attention, and they both turned to see David's mother waving at the two of them from her car. David sighed, and walked down the massive schoolyard towards the sidewalk. Ken followed, nodding to David's mother as he approached.

"Well, hey. If you ever need to talk, I'm around. I'll catch you later, David!" With his words said, he patted the younger boy on the back, and started jogging off towards his dojo. Training would start in less than an hour, and he had a long distance to cover before that. He didn't want to be late, but somehow he felt that it would be alright. He'd done something new today. It was a good day for Ken.

Meanwhile, David watched the other boy leave, setting his backpack between his feet. He glanced at his mother, who was smiling happily at him. "Well, that young man seemed nice. What's his name?" Her voice was full of cheer, happy her son had actually made a friend. As she started the car, he looked to her and replied.

"Uh… Ken. I think his last name is Satashi, he's a big-time star around here. Top marks in every class, sports genius, all that stuff." There was a twinge of jealousy in his voice as he spoke about the sports, as David looked down at the slight belly he was sporting. His diet hadn't been going well, and it was bothering him. Then again, a lot of things bothered him.

"Well, Ken seems like a nice boy. I'm sure you two would be good friends, if you gave him a chance." The car rushed by a series of small stores, advertisements blaring pointless words at them as they moved onwards.

"A chance… yeah, maybe."

His mother looked over as they stopped at a red light. Cars lined up around them, trapping the two in their discussion. "Sweetheart, I know you've had troubles in the past-"

"Troubles? Like those jerks pretending to be my friends so they could steal my lunch?"

She sighed, and nods to him. "Yeah… but you can't let those jerks stop you from making friends. Don't you kids watch cartoons that teach you these things nowadays? What about that pony show all the other kids like?"

David rolls his eyes, and chuckles. "C'mon, Mom, be serious."  
"I am serious, Davey. You should open up, maybe Ken will be different."

As the two of them passed by the city park, David sighed. "Yeah, maybe… Can you let me out here, please? I… I'd like some time to myself to think about it."

His mother looked over, concerned, but drew the car over to the sidewalk. As he opened the door, leaving his backpack inside, she touched his shoulder. "Davey… be careful, okay? And please, think about talking to Ken again. I'm sure he'd be your friend."

David steps out of the car, and looks back to his mom. "I will. Thanks, Mom. I'll be home for dinner." He gives her a smile, and shuts the door, turning to the park. As she drove off, he stepped onto the path leading into the more civilised part of the park, and began walking. His mind was racing with thoughts, as usual, but this time he had worries about this Ken person screaming at him as well. The mere thought of another faker befriending him just to bully him was enough to send a shudder down his spine. David took a deep breath, looking up at the park. He had to calm his mind, or else he'd never be able to relax.

The sparse trees around him rustled in the breeze. He looked around to them, studying their shapes, trying to settle his mind into something resembling a peaceful state. He took a deep breath again, taking in the smell of the grass, the leaves, the nature around him. The green was overwhelming, and the faint scent of flowers tickled his nose. He continued walking, heading towards a large gazebo nearby, his eyes wandering around the tall trees here and there in the field around him.

Then he stopped, and looked again. There, in one of the trees, was… something. A massive something, almost the size of a toddler. It was on one of the lower branches. He slowly approached it, eyes watching the strange thing inquisitively. It looked like a huge caterpillar, with two long tendrils rising out of its forehead. Black lightning designs covered its yellow body, and a pale blue bill rested on the front of the monstrous thing. It had no eyes, but the only thing keeping David from dismissing it as an abandoned toy was its legs. They were moving around, wriggling like little spikes. He approached with caution, his own curiosity overcoming his common sense.

Suddenly, as he was about ten feet from the creature, it looked up. It had no eyes, yet it turned to face David directly. The monster hissed loudly, its beak opening to reveal a nightmarish maw within. The young man stumbled backwards, terrified of the worm-like beast. He turned to run away, trying to escape that horrible screeching, but something struck his leg. His foot stuck to the ground, and as he looked down, he saw a glob of some kind of sticky thread. It crackled with electricity, and David felt a wave of pain shoot up his leg. The young man screamed in pain, grasping his leg to try and free it this horrific prison. The creature leaped out of the tree, landing with a loud thump on the grass below. It wormed towards the boy, alien beak snapping at him, strands of the same sticky thread dangling from the corners of its maw.

David could only watch in horror as it slowly crawled towards him, releasing a nightmarish hiss as it did. The clicking of its beak interrupted the hiss every second or so, giving the impression of a timer counting down towards a gory oblivion. Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued to struggle, unable to touch the gooey threads without his hands sticking to it. The sizzling pain continued to run up his leg, keeping him from focusing. He couldn't find a way out, and he couldn't think long enough to figure one out! The monster was almost on top of him, the hissing now deafening, the clicking almost in his ears. He felt a single thorn-like foot touch his leg, and the monster reared back, thread building up in its mouth, ready to strike him in the face!

" _Darkness Gear!"_

A large, flying black gear slammed into the face of the monster. It was sent reeling backwards, rolling head over tail onto the soft grass. David blinked away tears, trying desperately to understand what happened. The pain was causing him to see double, and he barely recognized a strange form hovering over him. It was circular, with teeth around the edges, like… a gear? It had two smaller gears that seemed to be like hands for the thing. It turned around, and with a beam of red light, cut him free of the electrified goo.

He scurried back, pulling his leg away from the horrible threads. His leg was responding, but only enough for him to crawl away. He pulled it close, pulling up his pants leg to see the damage. David was surprised to see only redness, as if he'd been rubbing that spot for too long. With a whimper, he looked back up to his savior.

The strange worm-like beast was still hissing, but was clearly outmatched by this new thing. The floating gears were more than a match for it, easily dodging the shots of electric goo, and countering with its own crimson beams of light. Finally, after a moment of back and forth combat, the worm hissed and started to crawl off. The gear monster laughed, and what looked like code started to coalesce before it. With a final laugh, it fired the black code at the worm, and it formed into a spinning gear as it flew. The gear slammed into the worm's back, cutting through its flesh with ease.

The worm screeched in pain, and David slapped his hands over his ears. It was a ear-splitting pitch, and loud enough to be heard from the streets. As he managed to peek open his eyes, he saw the worm fizzle, almost like it was made out of static on a TV screen. Suddenly, it dissolved into tiny numbers and symbols, which the gear seemed to draw into itself. The code from the worm was all different colors, matching the colors the beast had been in life. As the last of the symbols was absorbed by the gear, it slowly turned to look at the young man on the ground.

It floated towards him, and David tried to crawl backwards, desperate to escape these horrible creatures! Now that his vision was clearer, he could see that it was, indeed, a massive gear. It hovered near him, unaided by propellers or jets, with a faint ticking noise coming from within it. The smell of copper and brass hung around it like a metallic miasma, but the worst of its appearance were its eyes. Two big, glowing scarlet gears peeking out from shattered parts of its outer shell seemed to spin in place, studying the boy sitting on the ground. David held up his arms, closing his eyes in preparation for whatever this monster was going to do to him. He felt more tears welling up, and his heart beat a terrible tempo into his ribs. He silently prayed for forgiveness from whatever deity inflicted this upon him, hoping beyond hope that this monster would at least make his death quick.

"What're you doing, dude?"

The death never came. David cracked open one of his eyes, looking at the metallic… thing. It was merely hovering there, watching him inquisitively. Its voice was… odd. It had a metal ring to it, yet also sounded like someone with a stuffy nose. Deep in the back of his mind, David attributed this to the fact that it didn't have a nose, but that thought was buried under the sheer mass of confusion, relief, curiosity, and fear that was otherwise overwhelming his thoughts. The monster simply tilted its entire body, watching him with those scarlet eyes.

"Dude, c'mon, get up. You're makin' a scene."

David blinked in surprise, and his heart slowed its salsa dance rhythm as he realized the being wasn't going to kill him. His mind told him to be wary, and be ready to run. His body disagreed, as when he stood up, he almost instantly fell over. His injured leg wasn't going to keep him up, and he yelped as he started to fall… but the gear caught him, hovering over to him to help support his leg.

"Relax, dude. You took a hit, but it's okay. That little jerk is gone now, okay? You can breathe easy, it's alright." Its voice was calming, and despite its frightful appearance, David felt relieved to hear that the worm was dead. He held himself up, aided by the floating gear monster, and started to walk towards the nearby gazebo.

"I… thank you. Who… what are you?" As he sat down on the small stairs leading up to the gazebo, he turned to look at the bizarre robot before him . It was most certainly a robotic being, there could be no doubt, but David was more interested in where it came from.

"Well, to answer both those questions: I'm Hagurumon, and I'm a Digimon."

The young man's mind reeled with questions beyond the first two. Hagurumon's answer had NOT been enlightening in the slightest. In fact, it raised far too many more questions! "What… What the heck is a Digimon? Where did you come from, who built you?" His face was surprisingly calm, despite the outrageous situation that had just unfolded around him. The strange being was odd, but somehow David felt that it would be alright. Deep within his heart, a spark ignited that he hadn't felt in months. He had to know about this thi- about Hagurumon.

"I'm a Digimon, stands for Digital Monster. I came from… well, I was born around here, so I'm from here, I guess. No one built me, I hatched from an egg." The floating gear hovered down to rest on the ground, balancing on the concrete path. "I know that sounds weird, lil' dude, but trust me, it's the best answer I've got."

"The best answer…? How?" David, despite the ache in his leg, felt a twinge of annoyance. He took a deep breath, relaxing himself, and trying to focus again. To his surprise, he managed to focus easily. The thoughts that normally clouded his mind were gone. "You're a mechanical being. How were you hatched? From an egg? That doesn't make any sense."

"Sure it does. I'm a Digimon, we hatch from eggs."

"Yes, because THAT explains everything."

Hagurumon sighed. "Look, dude, I don't know how to explain it any better than that." The gear Digimon merely shrugged, using its two hand-gears to express its confusion. "Dunno, dude. I'm a Digimon, that's about all I can say. I hatched, grew into what I am now, and I've been hangin' out in this place for about a… week, I think?"

David hummed to himself, thinking. _A week… huh, that's not long._ "You said you grew into what you are now. Did you look different when you were… hatched?"

"Yeah, dude. I'm sure you looked different when you were born." Hagurumon chuckled at his little joke. "I looked like… uh, lil' metal blob? Kinda cute, if I do say so myself."

The young man snickered back, but sighed as he leaned back. "Well… guess there's not really any more you can tell me. Thank you for saving me, Hagurumon."

The Digimon nodded, his whole body tilting at David. "No problem, dude. Glad to help out!"

The two looked up as they both heard sirens approaching. David realized that the screech the worm had released as it died must have been heard, and someone must have called the authorities to check it out. He looked at the Digimon, who merely looked over towards the sound of approaching police cars with mild interest. "Come on. You won't be safe here."

"Why not?"

"If the police find you, they might open fire. They've never seen somethi- someone like you before!"

Hagurumon considered this statement, and nodded his agreement. "True… but where am I supposed to go? I live here, under the bridge."

David blinked, remembering that there was a large creek flowing through the park nearby. He knew the long stone bridge Hagurumon was talking about, too, but… "If the cops search the area, they'll definitely check under the bridge. Why don't you come with me? I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind." He actually wasn't sure, but at this point, there was no better option. Besides, the floating gear had saved his life. He owed Hagurumon.

"Uh… if you say so, dude. I guess it would be nice to stay inside for a while." Hagurumon floated back up into the air. David stood as well, shaking his leg. It felt better, recovered from the shocking experience earlier. The two new friends dashed away from the scene, heading towards David's house. They vanished into the forest, the most direct route home, running (or floating, in this case) towards the safety of a warm house…

Across town, Ken was running down the sidewalk. Despite his hustle, he was already late for kendo practice. His sensei at the dojo was a stickler for punctuality, and being late was sure to set him off. Ken dodged around pedestrians, red hair rustling in the breeze. The young man was rushing towards a little building nestled in the midst of the city. As he skidded to a stop outside the dojo, he noticed his sensei talking to someone inside. Beyond them, the rest of the class was already practicing their stances.

Ken pushed the door open, quickly stepping inside. His sensei, a balding Japanese man, glanced over to him. He gave Ken a curt nod, and turned back to the stranger. The odd man was tall, dark-haired and seemed to give off an air of mystery. His neat pressed suit gave Ken the first impression of a secret agent, and as he walked past the stranger, the barely concealed pistol under the man's coat cemented the idea of a government agent. As Ken took his place amongst the others, he carefully watched the two adults talking. It didn't seem hostile from either side, nor did it seem important. Just two grown men talking quietly about something.

Finally, the stranger gave the sensei a nod, and extended a hand. Ken's teacher took the agent's hand, wishing him luck with his endeavors. As the man left, the young man made no attempt to hide his curious gaze, watching his teacher as the older man walked to the front of the room. Within seconds, he was back to teaching them, going over the stances for the newer members of the class. Ken spent the rest of class barely listening to anything that was said, his mind questioning what the agent had wanted…

Finally, class was dismissed. The rest of the students moved to stash away their equipment, but Ken had a different task in mind. He made for the teacher, who sat down at his desk nearby. As he approached, the sensei looked up to him. "Don't think I didn't notice you arriving late, Sahashi." His gaze was steady and neutral, no emotions breaking through his steadfast mask.

"I… I'm sorry, sensei. I was distracted this afternoon." Ken knew better than to make excuses, he'd learned that during his first lesson.

"Distracted, you say. Pray tell, Sahashi, what was this distraction?"

Ken glanced away briefly, thinking about how to word his statement. "I ran into another student by accident after school, and I stopped to help him pick up his stuff."

The sensei studied him for half a minute before a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. He stood up, stepping around the desk to place a hand on Ken's shoulder. "Then there is no concern here. So long as you truly stopped to help another, I have no qualms with your tardiness."

The young man blinked in surprise. This was new for him. "S- sensei? It's really okay?"

"Of course. I encourage punctuality, not because I want everyone here on time, but to give my students a sense of stability in their lives. It helps them learn that structuring their lives can have many benefits. However, that sense of stability also lends itself to other parts of their lives. That includes you, Mr. Sahashi. You stayed true to yourself, and ignored something as simple as kendo training to help another." He gave Ken a smile, nodding approvingly. "But… that aside, there's something you wish to ask me, correct?"

"Y-yes, sensei. That man you were speaking with-"

"A government agent, working with the local police. Apparently, there have been thefts around this area recently, and they've been asking local residents and owners if they've seen anything. Nothing to worry about, I'm certain."

Ken let out his breath, and it was only then that he realized he'd been holding it. "I was afraid it was something much worse…"

The sensei chuckled. "I noticed, you looked concerned when you walked in. But as I said, nothing to worry about." He sat back down at the desk, pulling out paperwork. "Is there anything else, Mr. Sahashi?"

"No, sensei. Thank you for your time, and the lesson today!" He gave a bow to the elderly teacher, and walked away. As he did, he could feel the older man's eyes watching him. When he pushed the door open, he hopped down the short steps onto the sidewalk. Ken took in the evening air, feeling himself relax. This was a strange day. He actually felt like there was something to do, other than the usual pointless homework. The young man started walking, orienting himself southward, towards home. For some reason, he was looking forward to dinner. Ken briefly wondered what-

Two gleaming red eyes opened wide, deep in a nearby alleyway. The young man wouldn't have noticed them if this was a normal day. Had it been, his gaze would surely have been focused down on the sidewalk. But today, his head was high, and the corner of his vision caught those two red eyes watching him. With a start, he stepped back, away from the entrance of the alley. With a flash, he pulled out his boken, and charged forth! There was no hesitation from the young man, no waiting to see what the strange eyes belonged to!

He yelled out a battle cry as he quickly closed the distance, bringing the wooden sword above his head. With a swift motion, the blade came down, slamming into the owner of the two glowing eyes! The wooden blade snapped, cracking under the sheer pressure of the attack, and the victim of the blow cried out in shock.

"OW! That hurt!"

Ken blinked in shock as something stepped out from the darkness. It rubbed its head, eyes still gleaming crimson. Its skin- no, scales, they were a strange teal color. Above the two red eyes were two blood-red horns, popping up like coral branches. The bizarre creature looked up at him. It was about the size of a large dog, maybe 3 feet tall. As Ken took in the monster's appearance, he admitted to himself that it looked like a dragon!

"That… that really hurt! Why'd you hit me!?" The fact that the dragon could talk was still processing within Ken's mind. He had yet to totally comprehend the dragon's strange appearance. The little dragon glared up at him, its eyes welling up with tears as it rubbed its head. Ken noticed that its claws were the same color as its horns and eyes, a bloody scarlet that clashed with the teal scales that coated the rest of it.

Finally, he shook his head, registering the words the dragon had spoken. "What… you can talk! Who and what are you?" The young man took a step back, holding up the broken sword as a defense.

"You answer me first, punk! Why'd you hit me?" The dragon looked up at him, anger and pain crossing its expression. Ken felt a twinge of guilt towards the creature, and his sword lowered slightly.

"I… I don't know… you were there, I saw two big red eyes, and I… I thought… I don't know." Not the most descriptive of explanations, but Ken was at a loss for words. He stumbled around the statement, trying to comprehend both what he had done, and what he'd done it to.

"I was just waking up! You didn't have to hit me with a sword!"

"I'm sorry!" The words spilled out suddenly as Ken dropped the broken sword. He knelt down, reaching out towards the dragon. It pulled back, looking hurt. "I'm really sorry, I panicked… My name is Ken. Do you need first aid? I've got a kit with me…"

The dragon rubbed its head again, seeming to accept the apology. "...Dracomon. I don't think I need help… should be okay." The dragon stepped back, leaning on a nearby dumpster, one claw still rubbing its head.

Ken sighed, sitting on the concrete. The cold stone sapped the heat from him, and he felt his heart slow down with both the cool rock and deep breath. "Dracomon… what are you?"

"I'm Dracomon. I'm a Digimon, and this is my little street."

"Your little street?" Ken stared incredulously at him.

"Yeah, I get food from this thing, and I sleep behind it!" He tapped the dumpster, and grinned. His teeth showed as he did, sharp fangs filling his maw. He looked so proud of the alleyway he called home, despite it being barren save for the dumpster and a few large trash bags.

"You get… food? You eat out of this thing?!" The concept disturbed Ken, and he could barely conceive of this little dragon crawling into it, chowing down on the leftovers.

"Well… yeah. Not much, but it's enough." Dracomon's face fell, his proud demeanor softening as Ken displayed his displeasure at the concept of dumpster diving.

"No."

"No, what?"

"No, you're not eating out of it anymore. You're coming home with me, and I'm cooking you a REAL meal."

Dracomon blinked in shock as Ken stood up, digging into his backpack. After a few seconds of searching, the young man pulled out a large hoodie. It was his, meant for colder weather, but he tossed it to the dragon. Dracomon caught it, looking at it in surprise, then looked back up to Ken. "What… huh!?"

"Put it on, I'll take you home. I'll make you some ramen, it'll be better for you than whatever you're eating out of this thing." He smiled at the dragon, offering him a hand. The dragon gazed up at him, awestruck at such a generous offer. His red eyes welled up with tears again as he realized what the human boy was offering, and he slid the hoodie over himself. With a grin, Dracomon took Ken's hand, and the two of them walked out of the alleyway, heading home together, towards a bowl of hot ramen.

-O-O-

Author's Note:

This story is based on a Digimon: Digital Adventures game that I'm running for my friends! Please, check out the system if you're a fan of tabletop gaming and Digimon, it's REALLY good!

In the meantime, here's the credits:  
Author/GM: Hawk Johenson  
Ken Sahashi: Will Meagher  
David Carter: Remy Coupe


	2. Chapter 2

The sun cracked through his window, peering its golden light into the messy room. Clothes were strewn about, abandoned to the mercy of the carpet. The bed nearby had a single occupant, the red-headed youth half-covered by a sheet. His pajamas were askew on his toned body, as he'd been tossing and turning all night. As he snored, his alarm rang out, causing someone else in the room to yelp in surprise. The other person in the room was not really a person, but a dragon. The little drake stood up, panicking at the loud screeching alarm clock going off near Ken's head.

The young man lazily reached over and smacked the clock, somehow managing to push the snooze button. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up on the edge of his mattress. Dracomon, also rubbing the sleep from his much larger eyes, yawned loudly at his human companion. Both of them stared at each other, as if incapable of comprehending the sheer existence of the other. Finally, Ken broke the silence with a simple question.

"So. That wasn't some weird dream, then…"

The dragon shook his head. "Nope, I'm real." Ken reached out, poking Dracomon's horns. The little Digimon pushed back, tilting his head against the offending finger. After a moment, Ken stood upright, yawning again. With a lazy gait, he stumbled over to his dresser and began to pull out his school uniform for the day.

While he dressed, Dracomon looking out the window to preserve Ken's modesty, the smell of cooked eggs and waffles wafting up to them. Within a few moments, Ken was rushing downstairs. He motioned for Dracomon to wait in his room, to which the dragon made a pouting face at him. The young man sighed, returning to his room and kneeling before his draconic friend. "Look, buddy… I don't know what my mother would say about feeding a dragon, okay? So I'll sneak you up some food, and you can sneak out the window after we all leave for school. Alright?"

The dragon looked up at him with eager eyes, nodding his agreement to the plan. Ken dashed back downstairs, his socks slipping on the wooden floor. The teenager slid into the kitchen, finding his mother cooking, plates on the table. His sister, a cute little thing with fluffy black hair, looked up from her manga with a piece of toast in her mouth. The gothic attire she wore clashed terribly with Ken's neat school uniform, and he felt the usual twinge of annoyance at the fact that her school didn't have a uniform she was required to wear.

This frustration could wait, however, as his mother turned and slid a full plate of eggs and sausage onto his plate. She was on her cell phone, pressing it against her shoulder as she cooked. Ken couldn't make out what was being said to her, but from her focused expression, it was most likely not good. Hoping to avoid a discussion with either of them, he casually picked up the plate of food, and began walking out. Unfortunately, his sister stood up, following him.

As he reached the stairs, he turned back to her. "What do you want, Yukuri?"

She smirked at him. "I want to know why you're leaving the kitchen, and taking food up there." She gave him a smarmy look, clearly feeling in control of the situation.

"Maybe because I don't want to listen to Mom's business talk."

"Bullshit, you've dealt with it before."

"And I don't want to deal with it now, Yukuri." He turned away, heading up the stairs towards his room. To his dismay, his sister followed, munching on her piece of toast. As he arrived his door, he balanced the plate on his right hand while reaching down with his other to open the door. "Please, leave me alone, I had a late night, and I'm trying to wake up without having a headache."

She raised a brow at this, but turned away to walk back downstairs. "Yeah, well, hurry up and get over it. From the sounds of things, Mom's gonna be taking us in a bit early today." The young gothita moved down the hall, humming to herself. Ken sighed, knowing full well this also meant a late night for his only parent. As he opened the door, he quickly slipped inside, depositing the plate of food on his desk. He fell onto his bed, sighing in consternation.

Dracomon reached up to the food, pulling the sausages off and tossing them into his maw. He watched his human friend as he chewed the decadent meat, remembering what they'd had to deal with the night before. Yukuri had caught Ken and the dragon as they came home, and it was only be acting like a stuffed animal that Dracomon had preserved the secret of his existence from her. To the younger sibling's knowledge, the dragon was a gift for Ken's secret crush.

The dragon Digimon brought the plate over, hopping up onto the bed and dangling a piece of egg over Ken's mouth. "Ken. Eat somethin', you'll feel better." He smiled at the human, who had his arm over his eyes. Ken didn't respond at first, but after a few seconds, his mouth opened to accept the egg. Dracomon dropped it in, a small giggle escaping him.

Ken sat up, chewing on the food. As he swallowed, he stood before his Digimon partner. "Alright. I've got to go to school, so I need you to stay here, okay? Should be pretty quiet, TV is downstairs, just make sure you're ready to freeze up if someone comes home."

Dracomon looks up at him with puppy dog eyes. "But… what if I want to come with you?"

The young man felt a twinge of guilt, looking at those big eyes. "I… look, people aren't gonna react well to a dragon appearing in school. I'm sorry, Dracomon…"

The Digimon hung his head in defeat. "Yeah… guess most of the humans 'round there wouldn't know what to do about me…"

Ken knelt down, giving Dracomon a hug. The dragon's scales were warm to the touch, and he hugged the human back, claws gently poking Ken's back. As they released, Ken heard his mother calling up to him, informing him that she and his sister were about to leave for the day. He picked up his backpack, shouldering it, and looked down to Dracomon. "I'll be back this afternoon, buddy. I'll see you then, and we'll go do something together, okay?"

The dragon smiled in response, tail flipping back and forth. As Ken walked out, Dracomon's smile faded, replaced by an expression of melancholy. He watched out the window as the three humans gathered into their car, and drove off. Once they were down the street and out of sight, Dracomon began to wonder where they were going…

 ** _Digimon: Ignition  
Chapter 2: Discovered_**

Across the city, another young man was awakening, but his rising was brought on by a large gear poking his head. "Hey. Dude. Get up. Dude, your mom is calling. Dude, get up." As David opened his bleary eyes, he was greeted by Hagurumon floating no less than six inches from him. He yelled out in shock, now fully awake, heart pounding in terror. His limbs flailed out, arm smashing into his dresser, legs managing to kick the gear Digimon. Hagurumon barely felt the strike, but floated up and away from the panicking boy regardless.

As David slipped out of his bed, landing with a thump on the floor, he held his now injured hand. "Hagurumon, don't scare me like that!" He rose to his feet, shaking his damaging appendage. The gear floated down to him, an apologetic look on its face. The room around them seemed to settle as David's heart slowed to a steadier beat, and the boy noticed that his desktop was still on from last night. "Were you on my computer all night?"  
"Uh, yeah. You humans have got lots of really cool stuff!" Hagurumon grinned, his eyes gleaming with joy. David stepped over, clicking on some of the pages the Digimon had pulled up. Amazon was the first, and David was relieved to see that his new friend hadn't actually bought anything from the website. The second and third were video sites, pulled up to watch TV shows. He giggled at this, and left them both up for Hagurumon to continue watching later. The last site, though… it caught his attention, and he remembered the one thing he'd wanted to do last night before he passed out from the exhaustion the day had brought on.

"You googled Digimon?" David turned back to Hagurumon, his brows raising in surprise. It was something he'd wanted to do, he wasn't expecting the Digimon to do it for him.

"Yeah… didn't find much, though. Couple blogs, I think they're called?"

"Makes sense, if other people have managed to befriend Digimon. It would stand to reason that they'd want to share the experience…" He sat down, focusing on the search results. There were only three pages, two of which were hosted on a popular blogging website. He clicked on those, opening new tabs for them to check out. The third result, however, caught his interest even more. He opened this page directly, going straight to it, and was startled to see only a PDF pop up. Hagurumon floated up behind him to see what the page was, both the human and the Digimon gazing intently at this mysterious PDF…

 _The Digimon Project_

 _This projecjs_ _dklf; fof_ _pbje qniwopiejqwjf jobifejw jqo_ _iepijfj jojboww jqiopniq and to_ _fa_ _ciill_ _iadifonveow jqiw_ _oejp jeioqpgio trej_ _ninqnowq oejroi jiforejw_ _jiio q qwp_ _ew._

 _Fjd_ _kqpg jqoiwpeip_ _oi_ _tjo o mono_ _dfno nodsigoi_ _qiwoq xznib is to be lead by David Carter, assisted by Taiga jasump gofepw nuizvo qnowie qiopegirpeq nbuiq noai gni az qjiowqneg jgreo. Qioepgjreiq qiowep nqobifno to create a virtual reality, and iwojef qnoi bfoewn niqopvirn._

The rest of the file continued in this manner for two pages. David blinked in surprise, it looked like a scientific proposal. What could this be doing, drifting around the internet? He looked over the rest of the file, desperate for more information, but it was so badly corrupted that after a moment, the actual page crashed. He swore under his breath, and Hagurumon looked at him.

"That file had your name on it, dude… Did you do something with Digimon before?"

"No, they must be talking about my late grandfather…" David sat back, he hadn't thought about his grandfather in years. Not since his funeral ten years ago, at least. Having that name suddenly pop back up was definitely odd, but there was another name that had shown up. Taiga. No last name.

"What's your grandfather late for?"

The question was so strange that David turned in surprise to look at the gear. As he studied Hagurumon, he realized the question wasn't an odd joke, but found himself laughing anyway. "Oh, it means he's dead."

"Oh… I'm sorry, dude. Didn't mean to bring up anything."

"It's alright, no harm done." He sighed, and clicked on the first of the two blogs. That PDF was intriguing, but corrupted as it was, there was nothing else to learn from it. The first blog had a pink and white color scheme. Obviously, especially from the pictures, it belonged to a teenage girl. The pictures were of a teenager, probably 14 or 15, with what looked like a massive tadpole. Its bluish skin clashed with the rest of the blog, two beady eyes looking up at the camera in almost every shot. The mouth of this little monster was wide, with little teeth poking out here and there, pointing in random directions.

The blog identified it as an Otamamon, and David continued to scroll through it. Apparently, the young girl enjoyed taking her slimy friend around her hometown, taking selfies with it. The Otamamon definitely seemed to be enjoying it, as well. David leaned back, studying the pictures. It seemed odd to him that such a princess-esque girl would have picked up such a bizarre Digimon, but he figured there were stranger things in the world. He favorited the blog so he could check it later, and clicked onto the other one.

This blog popped up, and a wall of Japanese text appeared. David sighed, and activated his browser's translation program. Seconds later, the wall of symbols changed into a wall of English writing. He read through it, discovering that the blog belonged to a member of a Japanese street gang. This gangster had discovered what he called an Agumon, and blog detailed the two's exploits around town. There was only one picture, of the man and his gang posing with the Agumon in front. It looked like an orange dinosaur, and David had to tilt his head in confusion at their situation. These people seemed to have taken an immediate liking to the Digimon.

He leaned back, and Hagurumon turned to him. "What're you thinking, dude?"

"I'm thinking people might not take having monsters around as badly as I initially considered."

"Dunno. You took that electric worm pretty badly."

The human's brow furrowed. "True, though that one seemed to be much more feral than you, or Otamamon, or Agumon… or any others that might have appeared." He sat back up, a thought occurring to him. He opened the other blog, and began to check dates and times on each post. He smirked as his internal hypothesis was proven true. "Hagurumon, check this out. See the dates on the earliest posts?"

The gear looked at both of them, and his body nodded. "Hey, they're all from a couple weeks ago." He glanced at David. "What's it mean, dude?"

David stood up, hearing his mother calling up to him from downstairs. He looked at the clock, and his heart started racing as he realized school would be starting in half an hour. He rushed to his dresser, talking at a mile a minute as he dressed himself. "It means that a couple weeks ago seems to be the start of all of this. At least three Digimon appeared two weeks ago: Otamamon, Agumon, and you."

Hagurumon listened, thinking about his words. "Yeah, but… I don't really remember how long I've been here, Dave. I only know it's been a week for sure, since I evolved into this form."

David nodded. "Yes, but taking into account any younger, or dare I suggest baby-like forms you might have had, your memory might not be perfect from those forms." He stopped, straightening his uniform. "You never did explain that, by the way. Digimon have different forms, how does that work?"

Hagurumon opened its mouth to answer, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door. "Davy, come on! You're gonna be late!" The two looked at each other, and both sighed at the same time. David's mother knocked again, and the boy moved over to open the door. She stood there, already prepared to leave.

"Sorry, mom. Got distracted by some research." David picked up his laptop bag, and slipped past his mother to make his way downstairs. Hagurumon floated up to her, watching his human partner.

"It's alright, David, but we've got to leave if you're going to make it on time." She looked at Hagurumon, blinking at the huge float gear. "I don't think I'll ever get used to you, Ha...guru? Is that right?"

"Yeah, Haguru. You got it, dude."

She shook her head, all three of them remembering the first encounter they'd had. David had opened the door, pointed at Hagurumon, and told his mother that he'd followed David home. He then promptly asked if he could keep him, to which his mother's only response had been to scream in terror. After the two managed to calm her down, she'd relented, allowing the gear to stay overnight at least. The parental unit and digital gears looked at each other, both trying to figure the other out, but finally David's mother broke the silence. "Please watch over the house today, okay? I'm going to be out shopping for a few hours, I'd like to have a house to come back to."

"Sure thing, dude. House'll be safe on my watch." Hagurumon gave her a smile, trying to reassure his partner's parent that everything would be okay.

She nodded to him, and followed her son downstairs. The two of them walked out, the door closing with a quiet bang. Hagurumon sighed, turning back to his shows on the computer. He thought about this school thing, wondering what it was that David had to do during the day. With these thoughts, he turned to Google for assistance…

As the sun rose above the city, two cars arrived at the school at the same time. Two young men exited the vehicles at the same time, both saying farewells to their mothers. These two walked up to the school at the same time, the crowd of other children and teenagers blocking their view to each other. The hustle of the school raged around them, as everyone rushed to reach their classes on time, the front grounds of the building a mass of people. The two finally reached the front doors, and only then did they recognize each other.

"David! What's up?" Ken called out, moving through the tumultuous crowd to reach his new friend. David glanced up with surprise, seeing the boy from yesterday approaching. Studying his new pal, David could tell something was different about him. His posture was higher, somehow brighter. He couldn't put his finger on it, but Ken definitely looked different. His hair was still as blazing red as before, his uniform hadn't changed… David stepped up to him, looking up at the taller boy.

"Hi, Ken. How was your evening?" His voice was reserved, but Ken noticed a difference there. The bespectacled young man seemed much more focused than yesterday, like his mind was at ease. The two of them walked through the front door, making their way past the offices and the crowds to reach their lockers.

"Eh, it was alright. Kendo training was weird. This secret agent guy was hanging around my dojo, asking about some criminal activities."

"Secret agent? Why would a government agent be hanging around here?" David stopped in the hallway, turning to the lockers. Ken continued walking, starting to talk again before realized his companion had stopped. He halted, turned around, and stood next to David as he spoke once more.

"Not sure. Seemed like he was looking for some thieves, and wanted some details from my sensei about it."

David stashed his bag in the locker, closing and locking the metal storage container. He turned and opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see a large young man standing next to him. David quivered, shrinking back against the lockers as the blonde offender looked over to Ken.

"So who's this, Davy? New boyfriend?" He chuckled at his own joke, looking back to David with a menacing gleam in his eyes. His bright blue eyes twinkled with malice, and one arm came up to rest on the lockers, right above David's shoulder. The younger boy took in a deep breath, and started to talk, but once again he was stopped by another person talking.

"Excuse me. We were talking."

Ken stood up tall, chest puffed out as he glared at this newcomer. David glanced over, blinking at Ken suddenly standing up for him. The other boy turned to glare at Ken, as if daring the red-headed kid to do something. The two glared daggers at each other, and a small crowd began to form around them. The other kids nearby started to murmur about a fight occurring, and soon enough, the crowd was clamoring for the two to be at each other's throats.

The two didn't have the chance, as the bell suddenly rang out, signalling homeroom class was about to start. The blonde boy stepped back, huffing at Ken as he turned away and walked off. Ken merely smirked at him, and turned back to David. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Ken."

"Who was that punk? Might give him a piece of my mind later." To illustrate his point, Ken cracked his knuckles, fire in his eyes.

"His name is Robert. He's been bullying me since middle school." David sighed, walking towards his homeroom class. Ken followed behind, both of them pushing through the bustling crowd.

"Well, he's a jerk. If you ever have any more trouble with him, let me know, alright?" Ken stopped in front of his homeroom class door, giving David a smile. The other boy turned to him, smiling back, and then both of them realized that they actually shared the same class. They laughed at the situation, and both entered to take their place in school for the day. The rest of the class was settling in, their teacher writing lessons up on the whiteboard for the day. As they sat down, David considered everything that had happened recently, and Ken thought about what Dracomon was doing at home.

Unfortunately, Dracomon wasn't at home. At this time, Dracomon was halfway between home and Ken's school.

Classes came and went. Every subject they went to was done and gone in a flash, at least according to the two's sense of time. After homeroom, they had separated, but the ever-beloved lunchtime arrived after what seemed like no time at all. The two met each other outside the cafeteria, both agreeing to not bother with the sheer mass of people all rushing and racing to reach the lunch line first. They both hung around outside the cafeteria, watching the crowd push each other further into the large lunch room.

"So, how were your classes? ...actually, what are your classes?" Ken looked over to his new friend, inquisitive gaze unimpeded by the people nudging him as they rushed past.

"Oh, I've got math, science, history, then lunch. How about you?"

"Lucky. My first subject is english."

"Ugh. I feel sorry for you, Ken."

"Tell me about it."

The two of them laughed at Ken's misfortune, and as the crowd began to die down, the two of them looked down the hallways to see if any stragglers were coming in late. David nodded to Ken, and started walking into the cafeteria. Ken looked down the hallways as well, sighing with relief as it seemed the crowd was finally done. It had only taken three minutes for the massive pile of children to all stuff themselves into the cafeteria, but it felt like much longer. He turned, and-

Ken stopped, glancing back down the hallway. There, at the bottom of the stairwell, was a little draconic form. It waved at him, big red eyes gleaming in the fluorescent light. His eyes went wide with shock, as Dracomon continued to wave at him. David came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Ken? You okay?"

"Uh, yeah! I'm good, just… uh…"

David looked in the direction Ken was staring, and saw the little dragon waving at them. As Dracomon realized a new human was watching him, he froze up, trying desperately to convince the new kid that he was just a stuffed animal! He wasn't a digital monster, he was a toy. David looked up at Ken with curiosity. "Huh… that's neat. Wanna go check it out?"

Without waiting for a response, David dashed off towards the dragon, eager to see exactly what this strange thing was. Ken raised a hand in protest, not wanting his pal to figure out that Dracomon wasn't stuffed at all, but his weak objection went unanswered. As David slowed and came to a stop before the frozen Dracomon, he hunkered down to examine the dragon. Dracomon stood perfectly still as Ken came up behind David, sighing. "Yeah, looks like a stuffed animal. Can we go eat now?"

"It's not a stuffed animal."

This single statement send shivers down Ken's spine. "Wha- C'mon, David. You aren't serious, are you?" His voice was incredulous, but Ken could hear in his own tone that it was also guilty. He was trying to avoid the subject of the little dragon, and he was glad David didn't notice. The other boy was too busy examining the dragon.

"I am. He's too warm to be a stuffed animal, and look at his eyes. They're too life-like." David stood up, watching the little dragon. "Heck, if I wanted to go far enough, I'd say he's a Digimon."

Ken blinked in shock, and so did Dracomon. While Ken's reaction wasn't noticed by the young genius, Dracomon's eyes suddenly moving in surprise was easily seen. David pointed it out, picking up the dragon with both arms. "See? He blinked! So, what's your name, Mr. dragon? What kind of Digimon are you?"

Ken sighed. "His name is Dracomon."

David dropped the Digimon in surprise, turning to look at his new friend in stunned silence. He tried to vocalize something, but couldn't bring himself to say anything. Ken's eyes shifted away from the two others, but after a moment of silence between them, he finally spoke once more. "His name is Dracomon, he's a Digimon I met last night. I snuck him home and fed him. He'd been living on garbage in some alleyway near my dojo."

"Wow… So you know about Digimon, too!" David looked ecstatic after hearing the explanation, and clapped his hands together. Ken looked at him, but this time it was his turn to look surprised.

"Wait, how do you know about Digimon?" The taller boy's eyes gazed down at David, but he stepped back to give him room to speak. Ken leaned back against a nearby wall, watching his pal explain how he came by this knowledge.

David took a deep breath, ready to explode into a barrage of exposition, but was interrupted for the third time that day by a loud yelp. Both boys looked over to see a large floating gear racing towards them at full speed. Hagurumon's two crimson eyes were spinning wildly inside its shell, a look of panic on its face. As it came to a stop before David, it launched into a wild rampage of questions.

"David! Dude you would not believe the crap I found online about schools in your country it's absolutely terrible dude you've got no idea do you know the stats on bullying in high school it's terrifying dude are you being bullied do you feel stressed out dude i'm here to help however i can I BROUGHT YOU A SODA." It opened its mouth wide, revealing a can of soda inside. David, Ken, and Dracomon stared at Hagurumon, stunned and quiet. Finally, the gear noticed the other boy and Digimon there.

"Oh. What's up, dudes?"

It was at this point that David exploded. "Hagurumon! I thought Mom asked you to watch the house! It's not safe out here. There's a huge group of people about twenty feet away that could walk out and see all of us here, and freak out!"

Ken looked down at Dracomon. The dragon looked up at him, looking guilty and ashamed. "I'm sorry, Ken… I was curious about school, and I was also kinda worried about you…" Ken sighed at the dragon's confession, kneeling down to pet the little Digimon. His hand was warm against the other Digimon's scales, comforting Dracomon so the little dragon wouldn't break down from the stress of the situation. Ken smiled at him, trying to raise his spirits.

"It's alright, Dracomon. We can figure out how to hide you 'til school's out, and we can walk home together. Okay?"

"Okay!"

David and Hagurumon watched the two of them talk, and the boy sighed. "Hagurumon, he's got a point. We'll have to hide you both somewhere until school is over, and everyone leaves. After that, we can figure out a way to get home."

"Sorry, dude…"

"It's fine. I was honestly expecting something like this to happen, and I've already got a plan."

All three of the others turned to David as he continued talking. "The third floor of the school is only used by the seniors for their senior projects, so we could easily hide Hagurumon and Dracomon up there in an empty classroom. It wouldn't be too difficult to keep them stowed away until after school, and Ken and I going up there wouldn't draw too much attention."

Ken nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and I know a couple rooms that aren't used by anyone, anyway. C'mon, guys! Let's do this!" He dashed up the stairs, David and the Digimon following behind. All four of them rushed up the stairway, heading towards the abandoned rooms. None of them were aware that they were being watched the entire time…

The door to the abandoned room opened, and the four piled inside. Desks sat unused within, chairs upside down on top of them. Shelves rested empty around the sides of the room, dust coating them in layers of gray fluff. The room hadn't been used in years, and as the four walked inside, a thin coat of dust was brought up by the breeze. Dracomon scuffed at the floor, kicking up more dust. Hagurumon looked around the hollow room, unaffected by the dusty interior. Both David and Ken coughed, covering their mouths with their shirts. Ken walked over to the window, opening it with a loud creak. "Well. This is cozy," he said, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"At least no one comes up here." David responded, opening another window. Ken nodded in agreement. The Digimon looked over to the window, moving over to look outside. The two Digimon gazed out over the school grounds, as the humans nodded to each other. This would work out well. No one ever came up here, so the Digimon would definitely be safe until school was over. Ken pulled off one of the chairs, setting it down and taking a seat on it. He looked up at David, grinning.

All four members of the little group jumped in fright as a small scream echoed through the room. Ken stood up, jerking around to look at the source of the scream. David immediately bolted towards the Digimon, trying to block them from sight, but naturally, the Digimon were too big to be fully blocked. The source of the scream stood in the doorframe, hands over her mouth, staring with bright violet eyes at the two Digimon. Her dye pink hair framed her thin face perfectly, her shocked expression showing off the full colors of her ensemble.

David stuttered out a series of lame excuses, trying to cover for the Digimon. Ken's mouth opened and closed, trying desperately to come up with something to explain what this girl was looking at. Instead, she offered it to them herself. "Oh my gosh! What are these things? Are you guys seniors?" She rushed over to the Digimon, looking at them, examining them closely. Seeing that their cover was blown, Ken managed to adjust to the situation.

"Uh, yeah. We're seniors. These are our senior projects, we're just doing them up here-"

"Hi, I'm Dracomon! Nice to meet you, lady!"

Ken's palm slammed into his face as Dracomon stated his name. Hagurumon simply grinned and floated up and down. David stared down at the dragon in horror, trying to think of a better excuse for the girl. His mind reeled, racing as he thought of every potential reason for the Digimon talking. The girl, however, completely accepted the fact that a dragon just spoke to her.

"Nice to meet you too, Dracomon! My name is Tina!" She smiled gleefully at the Digimon, and looked up to Hagurumon. The gear wobbled back and forth, still smiling at this new human. The two boys stepped back, realizing that this girl was taking the existence of a dragon and a floating gear pretty well. She took picked up the dragon, giving him a tight hug, both of them grinning happily.

"I'm Hagurumon! Cool to meet you, dude." Tina looked over to the the gear, still smiling. The three of them started spinning around, cheering about the insane situation they all found themselves in. Suddenly, the bell rang out, signalling the end of the lunch period. The three humans looked up in surprise, then looked at each other. As one, they realized that they were far away from where they were meant to be, and had to rush to make it to their next class. Ken's stomach growled, and all three recognized that they hadn't had lunch at all.

"Well. Guess we've got class now," Ken said. The three looked at the two Digimon, Ken and David nodding to their respective partners. The three children walked out of the room, walking away from the two wondrous beings staying in the dusty old room, back towards the normalcy of school. The Digimon smiled and waved at them as they left, the kids looking back to give them one last wave before the end of the school day.

As the final bell rang out across the school, Ken and David rushed upstairs. When they arrived at their abandoned room, they found Tina already there, talking to Hagurumon. The dusty room was significantly less so, as well. Apparently, the Digimon had taken to cleaning up the old room, and Tina gently placed a broom on the wall as the two boys entered. "Hey, boys! Like what we did with the place?"

David looked around the room, and responded to her. "How long have you been up here?"

"Uh… since the start of last period? I just couldn't stay away, I love these two! They're so cool, like something from an anime! Hagurumon is really neat, and Dracomon is so adorable!" She hopped up and down, excited and eager to talk to both of the boys. Both of them, however, were only interested in helping their Digimon head home. Ken walked over to Dracomon, placing a hand on the dragon's head.

"Tina, it's nice to meet you, but please, keep this a secret. We don't know how the rest of the world would react to these guys." Ken and Dracomon nodded to each other, and began walking towards the door. David nodded to Hagurumon, who floated over happily. The two humans and their Digimon gave Tina understanding smiles, and started to walk out. The pink-haired girl watched as they walked out, then quickly followed after.

"Hey, wait up! I wanna see more!" Tina dashed after the two of them, grabbing her backpack at the same time. She caught up with the four by the time they'd all reached the stairwell. "I wanna know more about these Digimon! Where'd they come from? Do you guys know if there are more kinds out there? Could… could I find one?"

As they walked down the stairs, Hagurumon turned around, floating backwards as he watched Tina. "Dude, if you find another Digimon, chances are good it'll try to attack you. Y'know, just something to keep in mind."

"I don't care, I wanna see one!"

At this point, the group had managed to reach the bottom of the stairs. As they hit the last step, the utter silence of the school seemed to echo around them. Everyone had already left, leaving only a few kids out on the courts behind the school. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hallways, as they all made their way towards one of the side exits. All the while, Tina stared at the Digimon, enamored with the concept of these wondrous creatures. Eventually, Hagurumon turned around to stared back at her, his spinning crimson eyes gazing into her own.

"Dude, please stop staring at me… It's kinda creepy."

"No, you're amazing!"

"I'm really not."

"Yes, you are! You're, like, a floating bunch of gears with a face! That's awesome!"

"I'm sure it's pretty common among Digimon…"

"Nope, you're super special!"

Ken skidded to a stop in front of the exit, turning to face Tina. "Look, uh… Tina? We're trying to keep these guys secret-"

"WHY?!" The yell was loud, sudden, and surprising. Tina glared at the boys, a look of indignation on her face. Both Ken and David looked at her, shocked by the outburst. The girl continued, however. "Why are you gonna keep these guys hidden?! They're amazing, and cool, and weird, and awesome! They would be really cool at conventions, and I'm sure everyone would love them!"

"Because they're dangerous, Tina!" David stepped forward, kneeling down on one leg to lift the pants on his left shin. There was a red mark on it, almost like a rope burn. "This was done to me by a wild Digimon, and it would've hurt me even more if Hagurumon hadn't stepped in to save me. Digimon are dangerous, and we need to learn more about them before we can show them off to anyone!"

Hagurumon huffed at the statement. "You say that like we're a commodity."

David turned to his gear Digimon, stuttering a reply. "Look, no, I mean, you're not… oh you know what I meant!"

The gear Digimon simply smirked, poking David with one of his gear hands. "Sure, dude. Whatever you say."

Tina continued to look annoyed by the answer, but at least seemed to accept it. "Maybe… but I still want to meet one!"

Every member of the group began to respond, but the Digimon suddenly stopped. Both of them turned towards the exit, eyes burning with energy. As David and Ken both noticed the silence from their partners, the two Digimon immediately dashed for the doors, slamming them open. Both Digimon stopped, looking upwards. Dracomon looked back at Tina. "I think you're about to have your chance."

At this statement, the three humans dashed outside to see what the Digimon were looking at. As they came to a stop, their vision moved upwards. The five of them saw what looked like swirling code in mid-air, multiple colors clashing together around a small black circle. It seemed to be pulsating, becoming an oval, then a circle again, all the while the code spun around it, flashing a prismatic array at the viewers beneath it. David gazed up at the strange circle, entranced by its appearance. The other two humans stared at it, disturbed by the odd sight. The Digimon, however, bristled intensely at the sight.

All of a sudden, the circle was shattered by a strange bird-like creature. It's pink feathers puffed out as it fell through the hole in space, landing heavily on the concrete below. It looked back up at the portal, confusion crossing its little face. It's pink feathers were trimmed with blue ones along the edges, and a large striped feather popping off of its head wobbled as it looked around. As it stood up on little talons, it turned to look at the humans and their partners.

David and Tina stared at the bird, stunned by its sudden appearance. It was a Digimon, obviously, and Tina let out an excited squeak as it looked at them. Ken, however, was more focused on the portal itself. His hand drifted to his backpack, grasping at something that wasn't there. Ken swore under his breath as he realized his swords were back in his locker. Dracomon and Hagurumon stepped forward, glaring intently at the portal… which had begun to pulsate once more.

With a burst of multicolored light, a dark bird-like being popped through. Its wings unfurled, flapping wildly as it tried to steady itself. Its body was round, like a ball covered in black and gray feathers. It glared at the pink bird with crimson eyes. "Alright, you little shit, time for you to- whoa, who are all you guys?!"

Without hesitation, without warning, Dracomon roared at the little black monster. Blue flames leapt from his maw, teeth shining in the setting sunlight. The little black monster yelped in fear, flapping itself higher, away from the more threatening dragon. It glared down, snarling at the group. Tina took the opportunity to dash forward, kneeling beside the pink bird, putting a gentle hand on its back. As she took her place next to it, Ken and Dracomon stormed forward, watching the little black Digimon angrily. David and Hagurumon continued to study the portal, hoping that no other Digimon would pierce through.

A look of fear crossed the little black monster's face, and he began to flap towards the roof of the school. "Look, you guys are a bit more than I expected… Screw this, I'm outta here!" As it flew off, Dracomon reared back, blue flames licking around his teeth. He lurched forwards, maw opening to fire off a cerulean fireball at the little monster!

" _Baby Breath!"_

The fireball flew at the little beast, slamming into its back! It yelled out in pain, wings flaring out to keep it from falling into the hard ground. It turned back to face the group, anger across its face as it drifted towards an open window. "OW! Screw you all! 'Specially you, dragon breath!" As it fluttered into the window, Ken turned back to the others, Dracomon following his lead.

"Guys… looks like we've got something to do tonight."


End file.
